1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to novel compounds having antagonism against three endothelin isopeptides (endothelin-1, endothelin-2 and endothelin-3), which are physiologically highly active endogenous peptides, processes for their preparation and their use as a drug.
2. Discussion of Background
Two endothelin receptor subtypes ET.sub.A and ET.sub.B are known so far. The compounds of the present invention possess high affinity to at least the ET.sub.B receptors, thereby inhibiting vasoconstriction and bronchoconstriction induced by the endothelins. The compounds of the present invention provide a new therapeutic potential, particularly for the treatment of hypertension, pulmonary hypertension, Raynaud's disease, acute renal failure, myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, cerebral infarction, cerebral vasospasm, arteriosclerosis, asthma, gastric ulcer, diabetes, endotoxin shock, endotoxin-induced multiple organ failure or disseminated intravascular coagulation, and/or cyclosporin-induced renal failure or hypertension.
Endothelin is a polypeptide composed of 21 amino acids, and it is produced by vascular endothelial cells of human or pig. Endothelin has a potent vasoconstrictor effect and a sustained and potent pressor action (Nature, 332, 411-415 (1988)).
Three endothelin isopeptides (endothelin-1, endothelin-2 and endothelin-3), which resemble one another in structure, exist in the bodies of animals including human, and these peptides have vasoconstriction and pressor effects (Proc. Natl. Acad, Sci, USA, 86, 2863-2867 (1989)).
As reported, the endothelin levels are clearly elevated in the blood of patients with essential hypertension, acute myocardial infarction, pulmonary hypertension, Raynaud's disease, diabetes or atherosclerosis, or in the washing fluids of the respiratory tract or the blood of patients with asthmaticus as compared with normal levels (Japan, J. Hypertension, 12, 79, (1989), J. Vascular Medicine Biology, 2, 207 (1990), Diabetologia, 33, 306-310 (1990), J. Am. Med. Association, 264, 2868 (1990), and The Lancet, ii, 747-748 (1989) and ii, 1144-1147 (1990)).
Further, an increased sensitivity of the cerebral blood vessel to endothelin in an experimental model of cerebral vasospasm (Japan. Soc. Cereb. Blood Flow & Metabol., 1, 73 (1989)), an improved renal function by the endothelin antibody in an acute renal failure model (J. Clin, Invest., 83, 1762-1767 (1989), and inhibition of gastric ulcer development with an endothelin antibody in a gastric ulcer model (Extract of Japanese Society of Experimental Gastric Ulcer, 50 (1991)) have been reported. Therefore, endothelin is assumed to be one of mediators causing acute renal failure or cerebral vasospasm following subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Further, endothelin is secreted not only by endothelial cells but also by tracheal epithelial cells or from kidney cells (FEBS Letters, 255, 129-132 (1989), and FEBS Letters, 249, 42-46 (1989)).
Endothelin was also found to control the release of physiologically active endogenous substances such as renin, atrial natriuretic peptide, endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF), thromboxane A.sub.2, prostacyclin, noradrenaline, angiotensin II and substance P (Biochem. Biophys, Res. Commun., 157, 1164-1168 (1988); Biochem. Biophys, Res. Commun., 155, 167-172 (1989); Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 85, 9797-9800 (1989); J. Cardiovasc. Pharmacol., 13, S89-S92 (1989); Japan. J. Hypertension, 12, 76 (1989) and Neuroscience Letters, 102, 179-184 (1989)). Further, endothelin causes contraction of the smooth muscle of gastrointestinal tract and the uterine smooth muscle (FEBS Letters, 247, 337-340 (1989); Eur. J. Pharmacol., 154, 227-228 (1988); and Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 159, 317-323 (1989)). Further, endothelin was found to promote proliferation of rat vascular smooth muscle cells, suggesting a possible relevance to the arterial hypertrophy (Atherosclerosis, 78, 225-228 (1989)). Furthermore, since the endothelin receptors are present in a high density not only in the peripheral tissues but also in the central nervous system, and the cerebral administration of endothelin induces a behavioral change in animals, endothelin is likely to play an important role for controlling nervous functions (Neuroscience Letters, 97, 276-279 (1989)). Particularly, endothelin is suggested to be one of mediators for pain (Life Sciences, 49, PL61-PL65 (1991)).
On the other hand, endotoxin is one of potential candidates to promote the release of endothelin. Remarkable elevation of the endothelin levels in the blood or in the culture supernatant of endothelial cells was observed when endotoxin was exogenously administered to animals or added to the culture endothelial cells, respectively. These findings suggest that endothelin is one of important mediators for endotoxin-induced diseases (Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 161, 1220-1227 (1989); and Acta Physiol. Scand., 137, 317-318 (1989)).
Further, it was reported that cyclosporin remarkably increased endothelin secretion in the renal cell culture (LLC-PK1 cells) (Eur. J. Pharmacol., 180, 191-192 (1990)). Further, dosing of cyclosporin to rats reduced the glomerular filtration rate and increased the blood pressure in association with a remarkable increase in the circulating endothelin level. This cyclosporin-induced renal failure can be suppressed by the administration of endothelin antibody (Kidney Int., 37, 1487-1491 (1990)). Thus, it is assumed that endothelin is significantly involved in the pathogenesis of the cyclosporin-induced diseases.
Such various effects of endothelin are caused by the binding of endothelin to endothelin receptors widely distributed in many tissues (Am. J. Physiol., 256, R856-R866 (1989)).
It is known that vasoconstriction by the endothelins is caused via at least two subtypes of endothelin receptors (J. Cardiovasc. Pharmacol., 17(Suppl.7), S119-S121 (1991)). One of endothelin receptors is ET.sub.A receptor selective to ET-1 rather than ET-3, and the other is ET.sub.B receptor equally active to ET-1 and ET-3. These receptor proteins are reported to be different from each other (Nature, 348, 730-735 (1990)).
These two subtypes of endothelin receptors are differently distributed in tissues. It is known that the ET.sub.A receptor is present mainly in cardiovascular tissues, whereas the ET.sub.B receptor is widely distributed in various tissues such as brain, kidney, lung, heart and vascular tissues.
Substances which specifically inhibit the binding of endothelin to the endothelin receptors are believed to antagonize various pharmacological activities of endothelin and to be useful as a drug in a wide field. The present inventors already disclosed potent endothelin ET.sub.A receptor antagonists in EP 0460679A2. Since, the action of the endothelins is caused via not only the ET.sub.A receptor but also the ET.sub.B receptor, novel substances with ET.sub.B receptor antagonistic activity are desired to block activities of the endothelins in various diseases.
Endothelin is an endogenous substance which directly or indirectly (by controlling liberation of various endogenous substances) induces sustained contraction of vascular or non-vascular smooth muscles, and its excess production or excess secretion is believed to be one of pathogeneses for hypertension, pulmonary hypertension, Raynaud's disease, bronchial asthma, gastric ulcer, diabetes, arteriosclerosis, acute renal failure, myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, cerebral vasospasm and cerebral infarction. Further, it is suggested that endothelin serves as an important mediator involved in disease such as endotoxin shock, endotoxin-induced multiple organ failure or disseminated intravascular coagulation, and/or cyclosporin-induced renal failure or hypertension. Two endothelin receptors ET.sub.A and ET.sub.B are known so far. An antagonistic agent against the ET.sub.B receptor as well as the ET.sub.A receptor is useful as a drug. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel therapeutics for the treatment of the above-mentioned various diseases by an invention of a potent ET.sub.B receptor antagonist.
In order to accomplish the above object, the present inventors have synthesized various peptide derivatives and have investigated their endothelin antagonistic activities, and as a result have found that novel peptide derivatives represented by the following formula (I) and their pharmaceutically acceptable salts have strong potent ET.sub.B receptor antagonistic activities. The present invention has been accomplished on the basis of this discovery.
Thus, the present invention provides a peptide derivative of the formula: ##STR2## wherein A is a group of the formula R.sup.11 O--CO-- (wherein R.sup.11 is a lower alkyl group or a phenyl group), or a group of the formula R.sup.12 R.sup.13 N--C(.dbd.O)-- (wherein R.sup.12 is a lower alkyl group, a cycloalkyl group, a 1-adamantyl group, a phenyl group wherein one or two optional hydrogen atoms on the benzene ring may independently be replaced by a halogen atom, a trifluoromethyl group, a nitro group, an amino group or a formylamino group, a pyridyl group, or a thienyl group, R.sup.13 is a hydrogen atom, a lower alkyl group or a cycloalkyl group, or R.sup.12 and R.sup.13 form, together with the adjacent nitrogen atom, a 5- to 9-membered nitrogen-containing saturated heterocyclic ring having 4 to 8 carbon atoms, wherein among methylene groups forming the ring, one optional methylene group not adjacent to the above nitrogen atom may be replaced by a thio group, and one to four optional hydrogen atoms on the carbon atoms of the heterocyclic ring may independently be replaced by a lower alkyl group, and further two adjacent carbon atoms in the heterocyclic ring may form a benzo-fused ring); B is an oxygen atom or a group of the formula --NR.sup.2 -- (wherein R.sup.2 is a hydrogen atom or a lower alkyl group); R.sup.3 is a lower alkyl group, a cycloalkyl group, an aryl group, a heterocyclic group, a cycloalkyl lower alkyl group, an aryl lower alkyl group or a heterocyclic lower alkyl group; X.sup.1 is an oxygen atom or a group of the formula --NR.sup.4 -- (wherein R.sup.4 is a hydrogen atom or a lower alkyl group); R.sup.5 is a 3-indolylmethyl, 3-benzothienylmethyl, 1-naphthylmethyl or benzyl group wherein one or two optional hydrogen atoms on the ring may be replaced by a hydroxyl group, a formyl group, a lower alkyl group, a lower alkoxy group, a lower alkoxycarbonyl group, a nitro group or a group of the formula R.sup.51 --CO--X.sup.2 {wherein R.sup.51 is a lower alkyl group, a lower alkoxy group, or an amino group which may be substituted by a lower alkyl group, and X.sup.2 is an oxygen atom or a group of the formula --NR.sup.52 -- (wherein R.sup.52 is a hydrogen atom or a lower alkyl group)}; X.sup.3 is an oxygen atom or a sulfur atom; R.sup.6 is a hydrogen atom, or a lower alkyl or lower alkenyl group which may have a substituent selected from the group consisting of a hydroxyl group, a lower alkoxy group, a lower alkylthio group and a heterocyclic group; n is 0 or 1; Y is a hydroxymethyl group, a group of the formula CO.sub.2 R.sup.71 (wherein R.sup.71 is a hydrogen atom or a lower alkyl group), a group of the formula CONHR.sup.72 (wherein R.sup.72 is a hydrogen atom or a lower alkyl group which may have a substituent selected from the group consisting of a hydroxyl group, a carboxyl group and a sulfo group), a 1H-tetrazol-5-yl group, a sulfo group and a phosphono group; or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.